


So I've Been Told

by TheseusInTheMaze



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Background Shane Madej/Ryan Bergara/Sara Rubin, Biting, F/M, Female Alpha, Hickeys, M/M, Male Alpha - Freeform, Male Omega, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Multiple Orgasms, Oral Sex, Pining, Podfic Welcome, Polyamory, blowjob, first time knotting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 00:54:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17652926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheseusInTheMaze/pseuds/TheseusInTheMaze
Summary: It starts out as a game of "guess the status" at a party, and goes from there.





	So I've Been Told

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't have done this without my lovely beta. Thank you, Cinco. <3

It started out at a party, because of course it did. This was Buzzfeed, all the bad ideas started at parties. Everyone was seated around the glass-topped patio table, sipping from beer bottles or red Solo cups. Shane was next to Ryan, his expression thoughtful as he stared out into the middle distance. There was something endearing about it, although Ryan would have taken a bullet before he admitted it. The big guy was just… cute when he was lost in his own thoughts. 

Probably dreaming up new ways to torment Ryan with animated food, come to think of it. 

“I bet I can guess _everyone's_ status,” said Keith, wobbling just a bit. 

“What is this, middle school?” Eugene wrinkled his nose, looking uncomfortable. Glancing around, Ryan saw a few other averted eyes and awkward expressions. 

Not that he could blame them. They may be living in the twenty-first century in LA, but… well. Status was a complicated thing. Still, you wanted to be a good sport about it, right? Buzzfeed seemed to employ an inordinate amount of Alphas and Omegas, but then again this was the entertainment business, which was said to be more open-minded. And also….

Ryan took another slug of his beer as his thoughts circled in his head like sharks. It was about an even tie whether people guessed his status correctly. He almost never got pegged as a Beta, but people made assumptions based on certain things. It was annoying, but what could he do? He was aware, in a distant sort of way, that he was drunk. That he was more than a little drunk, and that he was tired. The drinking song from _Jaws_ popped into his head, and it took some truly superhuman self control to keep himself from belting it out. _Show me the way to my home…._

“You're an Alpha,” Keith said, pointing at Ryan and jolting him out of his mini musical interlude.

Ryan blinked at him. “Huh?”

“You're an Alpha,” Keith repeated. He was smirking, the expression stretching wide across his muppet face. 

“What makes you think that?” Ryan leaned forward, and the glass was cool against his elbows. 

“You've got the classic Alpha Napoleon complex,” said Keith. “Or are you denying it?”

Ryan snickered into his drink and took another slug. 

“I notice you're not confirming or denying it,” Andrew said, one eyebrow rising. 

“We've all been around Ryan when he's sweaty,” Jen cut in. “We know he's an Alpha.”

“What, it's that obvious?” Ryan rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. He liked to think that he kept a good handle on his scent but apparently not. 

“You're not exactly subtle,” Shane said. 

Ryan rolled his eyes. “You've been in close quarters with me,” he said. “That doesn't count.”

“A locker room is close quarters,” Curly fired back, “after you've been playing basketball. You stink, Bergara.” 

Ryan made a dismissive hand gesture, but he knew he was blushing. So Shane knew his status but hadn't said anything. 

Huh.

Come to think of it, Shane never really talked about status. Some people were like that, believing it was a thing best kept private. 

“You're an Alpha,” Keith said, pointing at Eugene. 

“That's not fair,” Eugene countered. “You've seen my dick.”

“Not erect, I haven't,” said Keith, and his voice was almost _gleeful_. 

“You can tell an Alpha dick from a not-Alpha dick,” said Eugene. “Even if it's not hard.”

“No way,” said Ryan. 

“I've seen more dick than almost all of you,” said Eugene. “I would know.”

“Excuse you,” Curly cut in. 

“I said _almost_ ,” Eugene said, his tone defensive. 

“I dunno,” Ryan said. 

The whole table turned as one to look at Ryan. 

“You got something you’re not telling us, Ryan?” Shane asked, one eyebrow arched. 

Sara walked out onto the patio, and she’d lost her shoes at some point - her bare feet slapped on the patio stones. “What’s going on?”

“Keith is guessing people’s status,” Shane said, and he gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

“Huh,” said Sara, and she balanced herself on Shane’s lap, her arm draped over his shoulder and her leg draped over his. She wasn’t wearing any socks, and her bare foot was curled against Ryan’s knee. Ryan tried not to think too hard about what it felt like, about how warm she was and the glimpse of thigh he got as her skirt rode up. 

Was he sexually frustrated? Was he lonely, did he need to get laid or sleep next to someone? What was it he was missing? He looked at her thigh again, and then he looked up to find her looking at him, wearing a look he couldn't read. Ryan flushed and looked away. 

He wasn’t entirely sure what her face had been doing, but he cleared his throat and bit his lip. 

Then he caught Shane’s eye, and Shane smirked. 

“Shane’s a Beta,” said Keith, because apparently the argument had been settled. 

“You think so?” Shane took a long sip of his beer. 

“Are you kidding? You’re the Beta-est Beta to ever Beta!” Keith’s expression was borderline triumphant.

“So I’ve been told,” said Shane in an agreeable tone. 

“What about me?” Sara piped up. “Can you guess me?”

“Honestly?” Keith squinted at her thoughtfully. Then he shook his head. “Haven’t the foggiest.” 

“So your powers aren’t completely foolproof,” Sara said. Her voice was drowsy and she was leaning into Shane, her cheek against the top of his head. 

It was such a sweet, tender moment that Ryan felt like a voyeur watching them, and he looked down at his beer and took another big swig. His hands were holding on to the beer bottle very tightly, he noticed distantly. His knuckles were turning white. Then there was a hand on his shoulder and he looked down at it, then up the arm into Shane’s face.

“You okay there, bud?” Shane sounded genuinely concerned. The patio lights lit up Shane’s face oddly with patches of black shadow and orange light in turn. He looked like he belonged in some German impressionistic film, like _Nosferatu_ , or maybe _The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari_. All he needed were some Dutch angles and a suitably creepy background.

“Yeah,” Ryan said, rubbing his eyes and leaning back into his chair. He was tired, and his head was beginning to pound from all the booze. “I think I should head home.”

“We should too,” said Sara, and she curled her toes against Ryan’s thigh again and then yawned widely - wider than it looked like her mouth should have been able to open. 

“You three are always heading home together,” Keith teased. His “guess everyone’s status” game seemed to have fallen by the wayside in favor of arguing with Eugene about… something. 

So, business as usual. 

“When you spend that much time together, you start to sync up,” said Andrew. 

“That’s how periods and heats and ruts work, not how people end up going home together all the time,” said Jen.

“I dunno, if you go home together enough, you end up _dealing_ with periods and heats and ruts as well,” said Curly lavisciously, and there was a chorus of groans and cackling.

“I’m ignoring all of you people,” Ryan said loftily, as he stood up and made his way toward the main house. “Night, folks.”

There was a chorus of goodnights as Ryan made his way to the house to say goodbye to various people. Eventually he ended up in front of the house, waiting for an Uber to come pick him up.

Sara stood next to him and then leaned into him, her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her without thinking as her finger hooked into his belt loop. “Does it bother you?” Her voice was quiet.

“Mm?” Ryan was trying not to get lost in just how _warm_ she was, and how familiar. It wasn’t the first time she’d draped herself across him like a blanket. 

“Does it bother you,” Sara repeated, “that people know your status?” Her fingers traced over the bit of skin where his shirt had ridden up. 

“Why would it bother me?” Ryan yawned and leaned on her in turn. Her fingers were bringing up waves of goosebumps, which he was doing his best to ignore. 

“I dunno,” said Sara. “I wouldn’t want people to treat me differently just because of my status.” 

“I can’t imagine someone doing that,” Ryan said. “I mean, it’s not the old days or anything.”

“Easy for you to say,” said Shane, from behind them. 

Ryan fought back the urge to yank his arms away from Sara as if he was doing something that he shouldn’t have. Sara was her own person, and she was allowed to put herself on _his_ person. She was a cuddler - Shane had no doubt walked in on the two of them in more compromising positions than this one in the past. 

Still. 

Shane stood on Sara’s other side and ran his fingers through her hair. The backs of his knuckles kept brushing against the side of Ryan’s jaw. His fingers were very warm, and Ryan was struck with the urge to reach out and grab Shane’s hand, to kiss it. 

… No. 

Then two different cars pulled up to the house, and everything was a flurry of hugs and “see you on Monday” and “take care of yourself.” When Ryan got into the car by himself he tried not to feel too lonely, or too cold. It wasn’t until he was halfway to his own apartment that he realized that he had a hand on his cheek where Shane’s knuckles had brushed it. 

* * *

Life proceeded normally, for the most part. 

That was kinda just what life _did_.

Ryan tried not to shoot too many longing looks in Shane or Sara’s direction. He went on three different dates (with an Alpha and two Betas, two ladies and a dude), and found himself… dissatisfied. Sure, he had fun while he was on the dates, but the whole time some part of him was thinking _I wish I was watching a movie with Shane and Sara_. Another night he went along with them to a gallery opening, and had more fun than he thought he would.

Life chugged along. 

One day, Shane flopped onto his chair next to Ryan with his long legs stretched out in front of him, his hands behind his head. He looked… antsy. His face was red, and he kept squirming. 

“You okay?” Ryan shot him a worried look. 

“Yeah,” said Shane, and he sighed heavily. “Sara is out of town for the next week and a half, and the apartment is all… y’know, empty. It’s kinda lonely.”

“You don’t have to be lonely, big guy,” said Ryan, and he patted Shane on the leg and tried not to let his hand rest there too long. The knee under Ryan’s hand jiggled. “You wanna come over?” 

Shane sighed and rubbed his face with his big hands, his fingers tangling in his hair and then letting it go. “I’m fulfilling, like, every stereotype, aren’t I?” His voice was wry.

“What stereotypes?” Ryan frowned, trying to connect… whatever it was that Shane was suggesting.

“Never mind,” Shane said quickly. “How about I buy you lunch? Since you’re putting up with me tonight.”

“I’d hardly call it putting up with you,” said Ryan. “I _do_ like spending time with you, y’know."

Shane made a dismissive hand gesture, but he was grinning. “Yeah, yeah,” he said. 

Ryan rolled his eyes. “So, where are we going to lunch?”

“Your choice,” said Shane. 

Ryan rubbed his hands together, his mouth already watering. Burrito-y goodness was within arm’s reach. 

* * *

Shane was still restless when they arrived at Ryan’s place. He couldn’t seem to sit still, and he was constantly drumming his fingers, bouncing his knee, jangling his keys.

“Are you sure you’re up for hanging out?” Ryan unlocked his front door, kicking his shoes off and holding the door open for Shane to come in behind him. 

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Shane said, although he still looked a bit tense around the edges. He was clenching his jaw and Ryan could see the muscle spasming, and his knuckles were white on the straps of his bag. 

“If something is bothering you,“ Ryan began. 

“I said I’m fine,” Shane snapped, and then he blanched and sighed, leaning heavily against the door. “Sorry. I just, uh… I miss Sara.” He cleared his throat. 

“You can miss her all you want,” Ryan said, and he was aware he sounded stiff but he was feeling pretty fucking stiff, “but don’t snap at me.”

“I’m sorry,” Shane said, and he sighed again, his hands covering his face. “I… okay. If I tell you something, will you not repeat it to anyone?”

“I’ll do my best,” said Ryan, which was true.

Shane sighed yet again, a long, deep sigh. “We’re polyamorous,” he said, “and she’s visiting another partner.” 

“Oh,” said Ryan. “Huh.” What was he thinking? He was thinking something, but he didn’t know what it was. He wanted to press as close to Shane as possible, his arms around Shane’s waist, his nose in Shane’s neck. He wanted to cling to Shane, and he wanted to… what? What did he want? 

“Yes, I know, we’re the most stereotypical California couple _ever_ ,” said Shane, and then he kicked his own shoes off and put his bag on the floor. “Sorry. I’m just… on edge. It’s been a… stuff is happening.”

“Stuff?” Ryan was _definitely_ missing something. 

“Stuff,” Shane agreed, and he flopped onto the couch, covering his eyes with one hand. He looked tired and his face was red, sweat beginning to drip down his temples. 

“Are you getting… sick?” Ryan sat on the couch next to him, his knee against Shane’s. The little bit of contact made him blush. 

“I’ll be fine,” said Shane. “Want to get dinner?”

“Yeah,” said Ryan. “What are you in the mood for?”

“Fucking _anything_ ,” said Shane, with a note of desperation. “I’m starving.” 

Ryan kept looking at Shane. What was it that he was missing? “Okay… that one Thai place has big portions?”

“Sounds like a plan,” said Shane, and he gave Ryan an awkward thumbs up. 

* * *  
Shane ate like Ryan had never seen him eat before. He’d ordered… well, just about everything. He barely even spoke while he ate, although he sat close enough to Ryan that their knees were touching. 

Suspicion was nibbling at the back of Ryan's mind like some kind of small, furry animal. He had been that hungry before - usually right before he went into rut. Was Shane actually an Alpha, and hiding it really well? Although if Shane was also an Alpha and going into rut... well. 

Ryan was pretty calm as far as Alphas went, but rut made him stupid, and he was known to go into rut around _other_ Alphas in rut. Then he'd end up hiding in his apartment for three or four days, jerking off and listening to calming music so he didn't get into pointless online arguments or even stupider in-person shouting matches. At least it was better than the actual, real life fights he'd gotten into as a teenager - young rut was a heady, _idiotic_ thing. 

But this was Shane. He trusted Shane. He _adored_ Shane, although it was embarrassing to admit that. He adored Shane and Sara both, and he'd never do anything to upset them. He was just going to possibly stick his head under the cold water a lot, to cool down his temper. or all he knew, he was just jumping to conclusions. Maybe Shane was just especially hungry. Who knew.

"Ryan," said Shane around a mouthful of noodles, "you okay in there?"

"Mm?" Ryan came back to himself, more or less. "Yeah, sorry. Spaced out." He shot Shane a sheepish look. 

"It's fine," said Shane, and then he shivered convulsively as if someone had dropped an ice cube down the back of his shirt. "Hey, this is, uh... this is kind of embarrassing, but could I borrow a sweater? I'm really cold." 

There wasn't any visible skin for Ryan to see goosebumps spring up, but Ryan could see him shivering. 

"Yeah, sure," said Ryan, and he stood up to head for his bedroom. "You think maybe you're getting sick?" 

"That would happen," Shane said, and Ryan could almost _hear_ him wrinkling his nose. "Right when Sara is out of town."

"I mean, worst case scenario I can come stay with you for a few days," said Ryan, although his heart was beating very fast even as he said it. "If you need someone to make you soup or whatever."

"Aw, Ryan," said Shane, and he sounded embarrassed, but pleased. "Thanks. I might, uh... I might take you up on that. If it's not too much trouble." Shane claimed to be cold, but now he looked like he was on his way to overheating. His face was turning red, and he kept gulping of water. 

"Wouldn't have offered otherwise," Ryan said, and trying to ignore the butterflies that were dancing around in his stomach. He was a grown-ass man, not some kid with their first crush. 

He dug through his closet and found an old sweatshirt that would probably fit Shane. It was printed with a dachshund, a Christmas gift from his parents years ago. Ryan couldn't wear it since he'd started bulking up - it was too tight around the chest and arms. But Shane didn't have much torso - he said himself that he was eighty percent leg. 

When Ryan came out of the bedroom he found Shane wrapped in the afghan that lived on the back of Ryan's couch, still scarfing down Thai. He had stolen some of _Ryan's_ food, too, and Ryan would have complained but Shane looked pitiful, and the reprimand died in his throat. When Shane turned to look up at him, his expression was so grateful that something lurched in Ryan's chest. 

"Thanks, buddy," said Shane, sounding genuinely relieved. "I dunno what I'd do without you."

"You'd eat your own dinner," Ryan said, tossing the sweatshirt in Shane's direction and then heading towards the kitchen to refill Shane's water.

"I'll make it up to you," Shane said, his voice muffled. When Ryan glanced over his shoulder, he saw Shane with his face buried in the sweatshirt. 

...Okay.

Shane's ruts must have been more intense than Ryan's - Ryan could usually at least keep himself from acting like a creepy, hormone-addled weirdo. Then again, maybe Shane missed Sara. 

Ryan wasn't even dating Sara, and he kinda missed her. Admittedly he was nursing a crush that probably wasn't healthy, but what was he gonna do? He would repress it until he got over it. 

He'd done it before.

He came back to the living room to find Shane wrapped up in yet _another_ blanket, now wearing the sweatshirt. He looked faintly sheepish.

"I'm sorry," he told Ryan. "I'm being a shitty houseguest."

"Meh," said Ryan. "It’s fine. Just don't puke on my couch, please."

"I'll do my best," said Shane, and he yawned wide enough that his jaw cracked. "God, I'm just... tired for some reason."

"It's fine," Ryan assured him, sitting down and patting Shane on the knee. "It's been a long day, and you've been on edge for most of it. That'd wear anyone out."

"Since when are you so reasonable?" Shane looked at him sidelong.

"I'm plenty reasonable," Ryan protested, and grinned. "Besides," he said, "when you're this much of a zombie I can watch whatever I want."

"Yeah, yeah." Shane made a dismissive hand gesture, but then he yawned again as he leaned back into the couch. 

"Don't worry about it," Ryan said, and there was more emotion in his voice than he intended. "It's fine."

"Thanks," said Shane, yawning again. 

"Relax, big guy," said Ryan. "It's okay. I promise." 

Shane opened his mouth, no doubt to apologize again... and then he closed it. "Okay," he said, and he sighed. "Gonna take your word on this."

"You better," Ryan said in a mock-threatening tone. "You wanna watch something?"

"Sure," said Shane. "Put on whatever." 

"What kind of whatever?" Ryan had a whole video of Lakers highlights saved on his DVR that he wanted to watch. 

"Not sports," said Shane, but his eyes were already drifting shut. He was snoring by the time Ryan got the television on. 

* * *

Ryan fell asleep himself with his legs on the couch cushions, his head full of fog and his stomach full. It was warm and comfortable, he was in his own home… it was good. It was the kind of good he didn’t realize that he needed. Shane… well, Shane smelled the kind of good that shouldn’t have been as tempting as it was, and yet.

He was woken up being jostled. It was a lot of jostling - rhythmic something or other, and something smelled _delectable_ , the kind of good that set his whole body on edge. He opened his eyes… and froze.

Shane was close. Very close. Ryan had stretched his legs out, and Shane was grinding against his thigh. Shane was hard, more than a little - he was hard enough to have leaked through his pants, and the whole room smelled like sex. 

It smelled like more than sex. 

Wait.

“Shane,” Ryan said, and his voice was rough, about an octave deeper than usual “Shane.”

Shane blinked at him, eyelashes fluttering. If Ryan were in a more poetic mood, he might have said something about butterflies. Since he wasn’t in a poetic mood - just a horny one - all he could think was _wow, his eyes are really dark._

“Shane?” Ryan licked his lips. “What’s going on?”

“I think I’ve gone into heat,” said Shane, in a remarkably calm tone of voice. His face was very red, and he was starting to sweat. He was still surrounded by Ryan’s blankets, still wearing Ryan’s sweater. 

“What do you mean, going into heat? You’re a Beta.” Ryan was so hard he’d leaked through his pants too, his cock throbbing with something like pain. He was two inches away from his knot popping out, christ. His skin was slick with sweat, his cock was too tight. His everything was… too much. He’d never been this worked up without actually being _in the midst_ of sex - he wouldn't expect his mouth to be dry and his heart to hammer when he wasn’t balls-deep inside someone. 

He very much wasn’t balls-deep inside of someone. He was in his pants. On his couch. 

Um. 

“I’m in heat,” Shane said, and he pressed his face into the couch cushions, his hands digging into his own hair. “Of course I’m in heat. Why wouldn’t I be in fucking heat. It’s the most fucking inconvenient time _ever_ , because this shit is just like that. Of course.” 

“But you said you were a Beta,” Ryan said, and his voice cracked. He was resting his hands in his lap, and it was taking all of his self control not to hump against his own wrist. 

“I never said I was a Beta,” Shane snapped. “I said that a lot if people _think_ I'm a Beta, and who am I to argue?”

“Why would you agree with that?” Ryan's head was spinning. He could see the bulge of Shane's erection in his ridiculous chinos. “Why would you lie about your status?”

“Can we… can we not have the conversation right now?” There was a pleading, desperate note in Shane's voice, and it made Ryan's cock twitch in his pants. 

“What do you mean by “the” conversation?” It was really hard to talk coherently like this. Did this even count as coherent? Ryan was having trouble following the plot. 

“The ‘wow, I never would have imagined you were an Omega’ conversation, or you think that I'm not an Omega because I'm too tall, or… shit like that,” said Shane in a tired tone of voice. “I know you're open minded -"

“Dude, I don't care,” Ryan interrupted. “Plenty of people don't believe me when I say I'm an Alpha.”

“I had you pegged as an Alpha within ten minutes of meeting you,” said Shane. He sounded very tired. 

“What? How?!” Ryan was trying not to stare at the elegant slope of Shane's profile. He was pretty sure he had it memorized by now; he could have drawn it with his eyes closed. He was trying _not_ to look too fixedly at Shane's mouth, or any lower. If he looked lower he might see Shane's erection, or… anything else. 

“You're a stereotypical Alpha with a Napoleon complex, like Keith said,” Shane said, and he had his hands on his face, blocking the light out. His voice was muffled. “You joined a frat, you work out. Plus I could smell you a mile away."

“How come I can't smell you? I mean… normally.” Ryan could smell Shane now. Oh, but he could smell him now. 

“I take pills for it,” said Shane. “Scent suppression.”

“Oh,” said Ryan, aware of how dumb he sounded. “But… we've slept in the same bed. I've had my nose against you. How…?”

“I've been careful,” said Shane, and there was a weariness behind his words. 

“Oh,” Ryan said again, and immediately felt like an idiot. His best friend - the person he had an actual crush on! - had this huge secret and he hadn't ever even guessed. “Well, I'm, uh, I'm sorry you felt like you needed to hide that from me.”

“It's fine,” Shane said, and he sighed again. “It just… makes life easier, not to go around broadcasting it.”

“Right,” said Ryan. 

“Can I have a glass of water, please?” Shane's voice was shaking. He smelled _so _good. Ryan wanted to press his nose into Shane's neck and never move.__

__…Well, move away. His hips sure wanted to move. He wanted to bury his cock as deep inside of Shane as he could, bite his neck and shoulders, kiss him as his knot slid in. The heady rush of arousal was enough to make his head spin and he shivered, staggering._ _

__Shane put a hand on Ryan's hip, steadying him. Shane _had_ to see the bulge of Ryan's erection, this close, but he didn't say anything. Thank fuck. _ _

__“Do you want me to uh… to call Sara?” Ryan got to the kitchen and rested his elbows on the edge of the sink, putting his sweaty face in his hands._ _

__“I can do it,” Shane said, and he groaned. “Her other partner is in heat, it's why she went to visit them.”_ _

__“Other partner?” Wait. Shane had already mentioned that. “Right. Other partner.”_ _

__“Yeah,” said Shane, and there was rustling as he shifted around on the couch. “Another Omega, in Long Beach.”_ _

__“Right,” said Ryan. He poured Shane a glass of water, his hands shaking._ _

__“I _would_ go into heat when my Alpha is out of town,” Shane groaned. “Because of fucking course.”_ _

__Ryan nearly dropped the glass in the sink. "Sara is an Alpha? Sara is _your_ Alpha? Or did I hear that wrong? Am I misunderstanding?" Ryan was standing close enough to the sink that he could have humped the cabinet under it. Which was not a thing that he did. What kind of person _humped_ a kitchen cabinet?_ _

__But he'd never been so tempted. Oh god. He was turning into some kind of depraved sex fiend. He'd never been around an Omega in heat before - he'd only ever dated Betas, and he'd had the fear of possibly knocking someone up put into his head at a young age. He hadn't thought that the scent of an Omega would be this... potent. Especially coming from _Shane_ , of all people. _ _

__"Yes," said Shane. He sounded very tired. "Sara is an Alpha. She's also my Alpha, although I'm free to find another Alpha, if I wanted one. While also having her as mine. We're open-minded like that."_ _

__"You let your Alpha go off with another Omega?" Ryan's head was still spinning as he brought Shane the glass of water._ _

__"We're polyamorous," Shane said again. "It's fine. She's fine with it. I'm fine with it. Completely fine." He chugged the water and wiped his face on the back of his arm. He was still wearing Ryan's sweatshirt. "Shit, I think I got slick on your couch."_ _

__"It's fine," said Ryan, sitting down heavily on a chair._ _

__"Are you sure? I mean... I'll pay to have it cleaned," said Shane, and he squirmed, pressing his thighs together._ _

__"It's fine," Ryan said again. "Although... you didn't know that this was gonna happen?" He wanted to reach out and feel Shane's face. The little embers of his crush had turned into... well. A fucking bonfire at this point. Because it wasn't _just_ arousal, although that sure was a huge part of it. He wanted to knot Shane, wanted to pump Shane full of his come until it leaked out. He wanted to make Shane cry with pleasure. But he also wanted to hold him, kiss him, stroke his back. He wanted to rest his head on Shane's chest, feel it move with Shane's breathing and the thrum of his heartbeat. _ _

__"I've got... well, it's complicated, but I can't get pregnant," said Shane, "but sometimes things get... weird."_ _

__"Weird," Ryan echoed. He was close enough that he could have reached out and stroked Shane's knee. If he leaned forward, he'd be able to touch higher than Shane's knee. A good deal higher._ _

__"Under times of stress or anxiety, my body goes a bit haywire," said Shane. "And, uh... I'm okay with polyamory intellectually, for the most part. But bodily my hormones aren't going along with it. And emotionally I'm still getting used to polyamory. Like, in theory, it’s great, I agree with it. Hell, when I’m not having _all_ of the feelings, I’m good with it.” He sighed, rubbing his face. “But… it’s a process." He stretched, pulling the fabric of Ryan's sweatshirt tight across his chest. "I don't know how I'm going to get home."_ _

__"You don't have to," Ryan said, before his mouth could catch up with his brain._ _

__"What?" Shane blinked at Ryan, his expression still dozy._ _

__"You don't have to go home. You can stay here. As long as you need to, I mean. I can... I can go feed the cat, if you need someone to feed the cat."_ _

__"I... I appreciate it," said Shane, and his voice was rough. "But that doesn't feel safe to you. Not safe. Fair. Sorry. It's hard to think."_ _

__"I'll be fine," Ryan said. "Don't worry about it. I promise." He was going to stroke himself raw and probably lose all feeling in his dick. Maybe his hands, too. He needed to not worry about that right now._ _

__"Ryan, you've got a hard-on that could be spotted from space," said Shane, indicating Ryan's crotch._ _

__Ryan flushed and fought the urge to cover his lap with his hands. "Don't worry about that," he said. "I'll be fine."_ _

__"You're an Alpha," said Shane, his tone teasing. "I thought you would be taken up with your desperate need to make your claim or some shit like that."_ _

__"If you can get by without begging for cock, I can get by without sticking mine in anything that stands still long enough," Ryan said in what he hoped was a convincing voice. It _was_ true, obviously - he knew how to interact with other people. He knew how to be a human being, instead of some stereotype of the knothead Alpha who just "couldn't help it" or whatever. He wanted so badly he could almost taste it, but... well. _ _

__He was still himself._ _

__"It's... I don't know if I can. Resist begging for it." Shane's voice was very quiet. "I don't want to ruin our friendship, I just..."_ _

__"I know it's just the heat talking," Ryan said firmly. "Don't... don't worry about it." His heart was breaking, just a bit, but... still._ _

__"It's _not_ just the heat talking," Shane said, and he sounded downright fervent. "It was one of the reasons I agreed to come over."_ _

__"What?" Ryan couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was there such a thing as, like, arousal-induced stupidity? Hallucinations?_ _

__“One of the reasons me and Sara decided to, uh… to try polyamory was because she got sick of me mooning over you,” said Shane, and he sounded faintly amused. “I was going to, y’know, maybe test the waters. See if you’d be interested in dating me. Or dating her. Or dating both of us, I guess.”_ _

__“Right,” said Ryan, dazed._ _

__“But then my stupid heat came along, because of course it did,” Shane groused. “Kind of hard to have a coherent conversation when all I want to do is beg you to nail me on the nearest horizontal surface.”_ _

__Ryan gave a full-body shudder, and he squeezed his own thigh to keep from squeezing his dick. “Would Sara be okay with that?” He couldn’t believe he was saying this._ _

__“Be all right with what?”_ _

__“With me nailing you on the nearest horizontal surface,” said Ryan. He licked his lips, and his mouth was very dry._ _

__“Oh,” said Shane. “Is that a thing you want to do? I mean…,” he struggled to get the words out, clearly having some trouble getting one thought in front of the other. “I mean, in terms of _you_ wanting it, versus just your hormones telling you to.” _ _

__“It’s not just my hormones,” said Ryan. “I mean… I… I’m kinda processing the fact that you’re, y’know, into me beyond being the nearest knotted cock -”_ _

__“Gee, thanks,” Shane said acidly. “Good to know you think so highly of Omegas.”_ _

__“I don’t… I’m not… I’m not like that,” Ryan said weakly. “It’s just, like… urrgh. I’ve never been around an Omega in heat before. And also it’s… I didn’t know that you're, like, interested in _me_. Specifically. Ryan Bergara. Let alone that you're an Omega. Or that Sara is an Alpha. I’m absorbing that.”_ _

__“Why does it require that much absorption?” Shane raised an eyebrow._ _

__“Because, like…” Ryan made a vague hand gesture. “You’ve… it’s… it’s a big part of your life. Obviously. And I didn’t know about it. And it’s important to you, these things are _obviously_ important, and you’re just… you’re not exactly the person I thought you were. And I’m not bothered by it, but it’s still an adjustment.” _ _

__“Oh,” said Shane. “Does it require that much adjusting?”_ _

__“I mean,” said Ryan, “I don’t think so? I don’t know, maybe I’m just sticking my foot in my mouth or something.”_ _

__“You kind of are,” said Shane, but he looked faintly amused. “At least it makes up for the times that I’ve done it.”_ _

__“I dunno,” said Ryan. “It’s harder for you to get your foot in your mouth. You’ve got to get past so much leg, first.”_ _

__Shane snorted, and then he started laughing. It was an ugly laugh, and his whole face turned red, his head thrown back and his Adam’s apple bobbing. It wasn’t exactly the stereotypical image of the demure Omega in heat, and yet… Ryan was enchanted._ _

__Although he was going to kick his _own_ ass if he ever referred to something as “enchanting” ever again, holy crap did he have it bad. _ _

__“But seriously,” Ryan said, clearing his throat. “If, uh, if you ever want to… I mean, after the heat is done, do you wanna go on a date? Maybe? To some kind of… I don’t know, to a library or something.”_ _

__Shane blinked at him. “Do you invite everyone on dates to libraries?”_ _

__“I’m trying to think of stuff that you like,” Ryan said irritably. “It’s kind of hard to think in a straight line when you’re just sitting there, smelling like… _that_.” _ _

__Shane snorted. “You’re such a knothead,” he said, but there was affection in his voice._ _

__“Well… so’s your face,” said Ryan, and he rubbed his face hard, trying to stop thinking with his dick. If this could even be called thinking._ _

__“That didn’t even make sense,” said Shane, still snickering._ _

__“I was, uh… I was serious, about calling Sara,” said Ryan. “I mean… crap. Let me try that again.”_ _

__“I’d like to think you’re not implying that you’d need my Alpha’s permission to fuck me,” Shane said dryly._ _

__“I like you a lot,” Ryan said, and he just let it all come boiling out of his mouth, because if he could sit here with a boner he might as well be blunt. “I like you in a dating way and also in a fucking way -"_ _

__“Real eloquent,” Shane interrupted, snarky as ever._ _

__“But,” Ryan said, talking over the interruption, “ _but_ , I’m also… like, into Sara that way. I think. I don’t know. You’re a lot more… present right now, but you’re also, uh… here. Like that.”_ _

__“Right,” said Shane. “Do you want to call her?”_ _

__“I dunno, you probably should, regardless,” said Ryan. “Not because she… owns you or whatever, but I know if my partner went into heat or rut unexpectedly I’d want to know.”_ _

__“Right,” said Shane, and he gave a shaky sigh and then groped for his phone in his pants. His hands trembled as he unlocked it._ _

__Ryan made to get up as Shane put the phone to his ear, but Shane shook his head._ _

__“Stay,” Shane said, a pleading note in his voice. His knuckles were turning white around the phone. “Please.” He appeared to be holding on by the metaphorical skin of his teeth._ _

__“Right,” said Ryan, and he flopped further into his chair, trying not to squirm too much._ _

__* * *_ _

__It was… well, it was awkward, to sit there as they talked. It was a pretty short conversation, all things considered - “yeah, my heat came early. No, don’t worry about it. I’m with Ryan. Stop laughing.” And then the phone was thrust into Ryan’s face, and Ryan took it almost reflexively._ _

__“Hello?”_ _

__“Ryan!” Sara sounded thrilled to hear his voice, because of course she did. “How're you doing?”_ _

__“Doing… great,” Ryan said, glancing over to Shane._ _

__Shane was fully swaddled in blankets now, although one of his arms was moving rhythmically in a somewhat suspicious way._ _

__Ryan swallowed, and his throat clicked._ _

__“You gonna give him the knot?” Sara’s tone was casual, but it sounded like she was trying not to laugh._ _

__Ryan made a surprised noise. “Uh… if that’s okay with you.”_ _

__“Perfectly fine with me, as long as it’s okay with him,” said Sara. “Judging by the way he’s been talking about it, I’d say it’s okay with him?”_ _

__“He’s… been talking about it?” Ryan’s voice broke, and he’d have been embarrassed if he wasn’t already too embarrassed to remember how to breathe._ _

__“Yep,” said Sara. “Have fun, babe. Put Shane back on.”_ _

__“Here you go,” said Ryan, handing the phone back. His hand was still resting on his thigh, and he could have squeezed himself. He was so keyed up that his knot would probably have popped up in his jeans, which hadn’t even happened when he was a horny teenager._ _

__Shane and Sara talked for another minute or so, and then Shane hung up the phone. “So,” he said, and he licked his lips. “It’s been established that my partner is okay with you knotting me. I’m okay with you knotting me. Are _you_ okay with knotting me?”_ _

__Ryan’s whole body shuddered as goosebumps spreading across his skin in waves. “I’d… be up for it. I want it. To do that. To knot you.” He stood up on shaky legs and held a hand out to Shane. “You want to, uh… do this in the other room?”_ _

__“What, you don’t want to be stuck on the living room floor for half an hour?” Shane stood up, unfolding like a praying mantis, and Ryan’s heart did a little jump. The smell of Shane’s heat got stronger, and Ryan’s cock throbbed._ _

__“Half an hour? Really?” Ryan made his way towards the bedroom. He turned the light on and then he stood next to his bed, awkward beyond belief._ _

__Shane staggered after him and then he was standing there as well, looking at Ryan with a slightly befuddled expression. “You’ve knotted someone before, haven’t you?”_ _

__“...Sort of?” Ryan licked his lips and watched, entranced, as Shane dropped the blanket he’d wrapped around himself. It puddled around his ankles, and then Shane pulled the sweatshirt off along with his shirt. His bare chest almost glowed under Ryan’s overhead light._ _

__“How do you ‘sort of’ knot someone?” Shane fiddled with his belt, his hands shaking._ _

__Ryan shook off some of the paralysis that had been creeping over him, and he took a step closer until he was close enough to feel Shane’s body heat. Shane was radiating it like a furnace. “I got my knot in a little bit, and then they clenched and I popped out,” Ryan said, blushing. His hands were steady as they unbuckled Shane’s pants, and then he pushed the waistband down._ _

__“How’d that happen?” Shane placed one hand on Ryan’s shoulder and and buried his fingers in Ryan’s hair with the other. The inside of his wrist was pressed against the hinge of Ryan’s jaw, and his pulse was thundering like a river._ _

__“I was young. Horny. Stupid.” Ryan pushed down Shane’s underwear and Shane did a hip shimmy, letting gravity pull his pants and underwear down. Ryan looked down and there was Shane’s cock, glistening with pre-come, flushed and pulsing._ _

__“Versus now?” Shane’s hands were very hot as they cupped Ryan’s face, and then Shane tilted Ryan’s face forward and then they were kissing._ _

__It was a dry kiss, but _fuck_ , Shane smelled exactly as wonderful as he’d thought, and Ryan opened his mouth and Shane’s tongue was against his. Shane’s hands were holding onto him, Shane’s cock was smearing pre-come across his belly, soaking into his shirt. _ _

__He was going to have to do _so much_ laundry. _ _

__“I’m not quite so young,” said Ryan, and then he… dropped to his knees. He ran his hands up and down Shane’s inner thighs._ _

__“I was young and foolish then,” Shane said, and his voice had a far off, almost dreamy quality. Was he quoting something?_ _

__“Mmm?” The head of Shane’s cock was less an an inch away from Ryan’s mouth. He leaned forward, wrapping his hand around the shaft. It was so _warm_._ _

__“Mark Twain. I think.” One of Shane’s big hands was on the back of Ryan’s head - not forcing anything, just… resting there._ _

__“I am about to rock your world, and you’re quoting Mark Twain at me,” said Ryan. “You call this appreciation?” He squeezed Shane’s cock and it drooled out more pre-come, dripping across Ryan’s knuckles and onto the back of his hand._ _

__“I’m sure the old boy would be flattered,” Shane said, and his fingernails dug into Ryan’s scalp._ _

__Ryan shuddered and opened his mouth. The head of Shane’s cock brushed across his upper lip, and then he tilted his head back just a bit. He sighed as Shane’s cock slid into his mouth, resting heavily on his tongue. Shane’s pre-come was musky and salty where it dripped onto Ryan’s tongue. His fingers tightened in Ryan’s hair, and his thighs tensed up on either side of Ryan’s head._ _

__“I always knew you had a mouth on you, Bergara,” Shane said hoarsely, although it was clear he was at least trying to look like he wasn't about to fall apart._ _

__Ryan rolled his eyes, opening his mouth wider and sucking on Shane’s cock like it was a blow pop. He swirled his tongue along the tip, his tongue jabbing at the slit. He had his hands on Shane’s ass, kneading it, and it was sticky and wet enough that his fingers were already starting to prune up. He hadn’t realized just how… _wet_ an Omega in heat could get. It was wetter than anyone of any gender he’d ever been with. _ _

__Shane moaned as he started to shake. “F-f-full disclosure,” Shane said, and then he gasped as Ryan relaxed his jaw, letting more of Shane’s cock into his mouth and turning his head so that it pressed against the inside of his cheek, “I… I come a lot. When I’m l-like this.”_ _

__Ryan pulled off of Shane’s cock, giving a little kiss to the head because he could. “Good. If you’re more relaxed, you’ll be more able to take my knot.” Then he slipped Shane’s cock into his mouth again, drooling down his chin, his tongue tracing the thick vein along the side of the shaft. He’d fantasized about this who even knew how many times, and it was all tinged with a note of surreality. He knew what Shane’s pre-come tasted like. He knew what Shane’s face looked like when his cock was being sucked. He knew the deep, musky scent of Shane’s heat now. Would he be able to sit next to Shane at work without remembering this? Ryan could almost see it in his mind’s eye: sitting at his desk, typing away, then glancing over at Shane and remembering Shane’s mouth against his own, Shane’s hips under his hands._ _

__“Fuck,” Shane said, “you watch a lot of porn or something?” He clutched at Ryan’s hair, and his hands were sweaty. His ass tensed under Ryan’s hands, and Ryan squeezed it. Shane groaned and his thrusts got sharper, short jabs that almost _forced_ his cock down Ryan’s throat. _ _

__Ryan did his best to not gag, letting Shane lean into him. He sucked noisily, messily, as tears dripped down his face and his nose ran. His face was a mess, but _god_ was it good the way Shane shivered under him. It wasn’t what he’d expected - he’d thought Shane would be quieter. But Shane grunted and gasped, each twitch of his hips bringing on another little noise. Ryan tried to vary it up a bit - he did creative things with his tongue, varied the pressure of the suction, bobbed his head. Shane’s cock was swelling under his tongue, but he would have been happy to stay there forever._ _

__So, Ryan had been thinking about this for a while. A good long while. Daydreamed about the noises that Shane would make, fantasized about the throb and heft of his cock, the way it would twitch against his tongue, hot with Shane's blood. And he liked to suck cock - he liked to give any kind of oral sex, as long as he was giving pleasure. Judging by the noises Shane was making, Ryan was _definitely_ giving pleasure. _ _

__Shane came without fanfare or even warning, apart from his fingers tightening in Ryan’s hair. He sobbed as his cock throbbed in Ryan’s mouth, shooting come down his throat. Ryan pulled off of him, coughing. A little spurt landed on his cheek, and Ryan absently dabbed at it, although he just ended up spreading it across his face._ _

__Shane stared at him, eyes wide, mouth open and pink as he panted. “I thought… I thought Alphas were s-s-supposed to be the ones who… who did the scent marking.” He swayed and Ryan stood up quickly, before Shane fell over. He caught Shane’s shoulder and led him over to the bed, helping him sit down._ _

__“Why do anything the traditional way?” Ryan licked his lips. His whole mouth was fucked out - his lips were swollen, his tongue sensitive. There was a cold, slimy spot where his drool and Shane’s come had soaked into his shirt, and he made a face and pulled the shirt up and over his head. “Do we need, uh… condoms?”_ _

__“No,” Shane said. “I can’t get pregnant, and I’ve got a clean bill of health. I assume you’re in the same boat?”_ _

__“As far as I know, I can’t get pregnant,” Ryan said, then; “yeah, no, I’m uh, I’m in the same boat.” He fumbled his pants down, wriggling his jeans down around his knees, then kicking them off along with his boxers. His cock practically rebounded off of his belly, smearing pre-come in the thin hair under his navel._ _

__Shane whistled, his eyes glued to Ryan’s cock. His tongue darted out and Ryan shivered, staring. “So all those stories about Alpha dick are true, huh?” Shane rubbed the back of his head with one big hand, and he pressed his thighs together. The scent of his heat intensified, as if a gush of arousal had dripped out of him._ _

__“You’ve had sex with an Alpha before,” Ryan said. He was overheating, sweat dripping down his sides and trickling from his armpits. His cock drooled pre-come the exact same way - everything seemed to be overflowing._ _

__“Well, yes,” said Shane, “but you’ve all been pretty well-endowed. I thought maybe it was a fluke or me being lucky, but evidently not.” He panted like he’d run a race, his face red and his hair plastered down to his forehead._ _

__“Well, uh, thank you,” Ryan said awkwardly, because what else was he supposed to say? He was aware that he was just… standing in the middle of his bedroom, naked, his cock flushed and pressed against his belly. He wanted to fuck Shane more than he wanted to _breathe_ \- he wanted to bury himself as deep inside of Shane as he could get. He wanted to kiss Shane’s face, he wanted to make him come again, he wanted to hold his hand…. _ _

__“Ryan?” Shane snapped his fingers, and Ryan jerked back to himself. “You okay there, bud? I thought I was the one who was supposed to get lost in it all.”_ _

__“I’m an equal opportunity… getting lost… person,” said Ryan, and he pressed closer to Shane until their knees were touching, his hands going to Shane’s shoulders, looking down at him. It was a rare opportunity to get a chance to look down at Shane, just another one of the novel experiences the evening had provided._ _

__“Good to know,” said Shane, and he pulled Ryan down for a kiss._ _

__It was an awkward kiss - Ryan’s neck was at an uncomfortable angle, and Shane was clearly not used to having to tilt his head back. Still, they held onto each other. Ryan’s hard cock pressed against Shane’s thigh, then Shane’s belly as they pulled closer together as Ryan tried not to get too… well, Alpha._ _

__Some part of Ryan wanted to bite Shane on the neck, right now. He wanted to shove Shane down flat, spread his legs open, and slide his cock in and go to town. He had a feeling that Shane would appreciate that, actually. But… this was their first time fucking. It wasn’t only Ryan’s first time getting to knot someone, getting to fuck an Omega - it was his first time with _Shane_. _ _

__…Ryan’s mind was going down the road that ended in things like candles and rose petals, and... no. His dignity couldn’t stand it. So he bit back the instincts climbing up and down his back, choosing instead to kiss Shane with his whole mouth while running his hands over Shane’s body. At some point he was clamoring on top of Shane, his knees pressing into Shane’s hips, and Shane’s hard cock rubbed against his belly. He had made some quip about Shane being able to get it up again, but then Shane had wriggled against him and everything had gone a little white around the edges._ _

__Everything smelled like _sex_ , and not just sex, but the kind of sex that he’d read about but didn’t think people actually had. The kind of sex in romance novels, or that had people talking earnestly about the importance of finding someone with a corresponding status. Ryan had thought it was all exaggerated, for the look of the thing._ _

__Now he wasn’t so sure._ _

__Shane moaned against him, cock hard and wet against Ryan’s stomach. It was already throbbing the way it had in Ryan’s mouth. When Ryan slid a hand between them Shane broke their kiss, whining up at the ceiling as he bucked his hips, fucking Ryan’s fist. His whole face went slack and ugly as he came, and Ryan wanted to keep that in his mind’s eye for the rest of his life._ _

__Without even thinking, Ryan’s mouth was on Shane’s shoulder and he dug his teeth in, then sucked hard enough that he tasted pennies. He flickered his tongue along the tender spot and pulled off with a “pop,” moving to a different spot on Shane’s shoulder. He liked the way that Shane arched into him with the bite, liked the way that he thrashed. Shane’s come was sticky and thick between the two of them, thicker than his slick, which was soaking into the blankets and getting all over Ryan’s thighs._ _

__“I need your knot,” Shane said, and it was such a _cheesy_ line, the kind of shit you associated with the shitty omegasploitation pornos that Ryan had guiltily jerked off to when he’d discovered his own knot. “I need it so badly, Ryan, _please_.” _ _

__"How do you... how do you need me to do this?" He squirmed away from Shane, lying flat on his back and panting up at the ceiling. He could smell himself, faintly - the deep, sharp scent of an Alpha. It was almost the way he smelled when he was in rut. Wait, shit, was this going to send him into rut?_ _

__He'd worry about that later._ _

__"I thought we could go... y'know, traditional," Shane said, his voice thick. "If that's okay. With me on my knees, I meant. If that would work?"_ _

__"Yeah, sure," said Ryan. An anxious bit of him relaxed - at least Shane wouldn't see his face the first time he knotted. Assuming he knotted in the first place, and didn't get squeezed out like the first time he’d tried. Hopefully this would work right. Even if it didn't, Shane probably wouldn't hold it against him. Shane was a good guy. And he could help Shane through a heat, even if he was a defective Alpha. Which he probably was._ _

__"Ryan," said Shane, "I can feel you ruminating. What's going through your head?" One of Shane's ridiculously big hands squeezed Ryan's wrist, fingers encircling it and then sliding into Ryan's hand, his fingertips pressed against Ryan's palm._ _

__"Sorry," said Ryan. "I'm just, uh... nervous. Is that dumb? I've had sex before, but I'm still... nervous."_ _

__"You know where to put it, don't you?" Shane's voice was as dry as the blankets under them weren't._ _

__"I mean," Ryan said, and snickered in spite of himself, "there aren't many... options in the first place."_ _

__Shane snorted. "You'd be surprised," he said._ _

__"I don't know if I want to hear that story or not," said Ryan._ _

__"A time and a place," Shane agreed. "But... you'll be fine. I guarantee it."_ _

__"I'm probably overthinking," Ryan agreed. "Just... forgive me, if I fuck up?"_ _

__"Short of sticking your dick up my nose, I can't really see how you'd manage to fuck up," said Shane. "It's just like normal anal sex. Only... moreso."_ _

__"You're right," Ryan agreed, and sat up. "Let me just get the lube." He was reaching towards his bedside table on autopilot when Shane pinched him in the side. "Ow! What was that - oh."_ _

__"Right," said Shane, and he looked amused under all that horny._ _

__"Shut up," Ryan muttered, but some of the anxiety leeched out of him. Okay. So it wasn't going to be too hard. "So what do you need me to do first?"_ _

__"Let's just... get situated," Shane said, shifting on the bed. "It might take a few minutes."_ _

__It didn't take that long._ _

__Shane flopped on his stomach, his legs open, with Ryan between his legs behind him. His hole was still leaking, the bed already slimy and wet with slick._ _

__If Ryan hadn't been half crazy with the intoxicating scent of it all, he probably would have found it gross. As it was, he wanted to freeze this moment in time and put it in a scrapbook somewhere to keep forever. He sat back on his heels, looking up the line of Shane's body. Shane's shoulder blades were drawn together, the knobs of his spine standing out like a mountain range. His hair was sticking up where Ryan had pulled on it, and the back of his neck was red. Shane's sweaty face was pressed into the pillow and his hips were wiggling, his knees digging into the mattress. He was only a step away from humping the mattress and he was panting, open mouthed._ _

__"God, Ryan, please," Shane said, his voice muffled and rough with desperation. "I need your cock. I need to feel your knot, I need you to fill me up, please!” He paused, some of his usual self peeking out from under the fog of lust. “If you ever repeat this, I will feed you your own liver.”_ _

__"Right," said Ryan, ignoring the threat, his mouth dry. He shuffled forward until the head of his cock smeared through the sticky trails of slick on Shane's ass. He pushed the cheeks of Shane's ass open and looked down. He watched his hands on Shane's ass, the wetness of Shane's heat making everything tacky and slippery. He pushed his hips forward, then let go of one of Shane's cheeks to carefully guide his cock in. He watched, entranced, as he pressed the very tip of his cock against Shane's hole and it slipped in._ _

__Shane made a desperate noise and his ass tensed under Ryan's hands, his hole trying to draw Ryan in deeper. He squirmed, tangling his fingers in his own hair and yanking and twisting it._ _

__Ryan was transfixed as he pushed a little more into Shane - almost all of the head was inside now, and then there was a sensation like a "pop" and the head entered Shane. He pushed his hips forward, both hands on the cheeks of Shane's ass now, just watching himself fuck Shane. He kept his eyes there until he was all the way inside. Shane's slick helped him glide in, like some kind of expensive lube but _warm_. _ _

__"Fuck," Shane said, sounding broken. "You're... you're bigger than you l-l-look, Bergara." He gave a convulsive shudder, both inside and out. He was like velvet inside, or silk - smooth, hot, squeezing Ryan's cock tight. He humped back against Ryan awkwardly, making Ryan gasp._ _

__Ryan pressed his whole self forward, letting go of Shane's ass to put his hands on Shane's hips and leaning forward awkwardly to kiss up and down Shane's back. "How's that?" He was amazed at how _wrecked_ he sounded, as if he'd been screaming._ _

__"If you don't start moving, I'm going to die," Shane said, his tone remarkably calm for someone getting fucked in the ass. "Just flat out die. Right here and now."_ _

__"That'd be bad," Ryan said, and pulled his hips back, sliding almost all the way out, then pushing back in. He kissed whatever he could reach, which was mostly Shane's shoulders and neck; occasionally he dug his teeth in. He rested on his forearms, working his hips slowly and carefully as he fucked Shane slow and deep and sweet._ _

__Shane whined under him and humped back with a desperation Ryan had never seen before. Was this what heat did to Shane? Or was he always this needy when he was being fucked? Ryan would have to find out. He was already a little bit in love with it - the way Shane's breath caught in his throat when Ryan nearly pulled out, the way he gasped when Ryan would plunge it back in. The way that Shane's hands had somehow found Ryan's and their fingers twined together as Ryan's hips began to speed up._ _

__Time lost all meaning, if it ever had any to begin with._ _

__Ryan fucked Shane, kissed along his neck, and took in the deep, primal scent of Shane’s heat as he tasted the salt of his sweat. He may have been murmuring, or making endearing noises because Shane responded in kind occasionally, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was the sweet, squeezing heat around Ryan’s cock, and the noises that Shane made. All that mattered was the pleasure that Shane felt as he got tighter and tighter around Ryan._ _

__“I can feel your knot,” Shane said quietly, after who knew how long._ _

__“Sorry,” Ryan mumbled out of habit. He was used to pulling out at this point, making his partner come, and then getting jerked off or sucked off or… something. Most people couldn’t or didn’t want to take a knot, which was fair enough. The one time he’d tried, it had been too big. He stilled his hips, with effort, and was aware of his knot beginning to emerge at the base of his cock, thick and tight._ _

__“Don’t be,” said Shane. “Just… put it in me. Please.” He arched into Ryan and the top of Ryan’s knot brushed against his hole, almost going in._ _

__“Are you sure?” Ryan hated how anxious he sounded, but he… he had to be one hundred percent positive about this._ _

__“I’m sure,” said Shane, “Please, I need it, I need it so badly. I need your cock, _please_ give it to me, please put it in me, I….”_ _

__Ryan pushed his hips forward. He was aware of his knot emerging, getting thicker - it was almost all the way out, and then it was out and his head spun from the intensity of it. He grunted and dug his knees into the bed, his forehead pressing into Shane’s shoulder blade as he pushed his hips forward. He squeezed Shane’s fingers too tightly, his knuckles creaking. Shane’s ass squeezed him so, so tightly - he almost called it off, almost said that they should stop now, this wasn’t going to work, it was too much._ _

__And then Ryan’s knot slipped in._ _

__It was all the way in and Shane’s ass squeezed it, keeping him in place. It was so much heat - it was like being burned from the inside out. His knot swelled and throbbed as his cock began to twitch, and then Ryan came like he almost never had. It was sudden, too - one second he was inside of Shane, trying to get his bearings, and the next, wave after wave of pleasure crashed down on his head like he was sitting on the edge of the beach at just the wrong moment._ _

__Shane’s ass spasmed around him, and he groaned and panted as he squirmed under Ryan, clearly coming now that he was finally knotted. Ryan wondered, faintly, if he was feeling the same bone-deep satisfaction._ _

__Little aftershocks of pleasure kept shooting through Ryan, like little jolts of static electricity. His cock was still coming, spitting out strings of come - he was going to want to eat when this was done, and drink so much water. He was going to… he was…._ _

__Ryan passed out on top of Shane, still shaking, his fingers still clutching tightly at Shane’s and his cock still buried deep inside Shane’s ass._ _

__* * *_ _

__Ryan woke up some time later, still inside of Shane. He was still shaking, and he was still holding Shane’s hands._ _

__“Hi,” Shane said. He sounded muffled._ _

__“Hi,” said Ryan. “You okay?”_ _

__“I’m doin’ great,” Shane said. “Although as soon as the knot shrinks, I want to get up and pee.”_ _

__“Sorry,” said Ryan. He gave an experimental tug of his hips, and then he almost cried out because _fuck_ that was intense. _ _

__“We’re still tied,” Shane said. “Give it some time.”_ _

__“Sorry for passing out like that,” Ryan said, and he kissed Shane’s shoulder. He was already getting cold - sweat and slick and come drying on his skin._ _

__“It’s okay,” said Shane, squeezing Ryan’s fingers. “So what’d you think of knotting?”_ _

__“Pretty great,” Ryan said, and he shivered convulsively. He was having a whole lot of feelings, and he wasn’t even sure what all of them were._ _

__“I’m glad,” said Shane. “You think you’ll be up to do it again in a few hours?” There was a note of embarrassed anxiety in his voice._ _

__“Oh no,” Ryan said, his voice deadpan. “I might have to have smoking-hot sex with the guy I’ve been crushing on for who the fuck knows how long. The horror.”_ _

__“How long _have_ you been crushing on me?” Shane’s tone was one of friendly inquiry but Ryan still flushed, his hot cheek pressed into Shane’s equally hot skin. _ _

__“That’s a very personal question to ask,” he mumbled._ _

__“A very personal question to ask you _while your come is still in my ass_ ,” Shane said pointedly._ _

__“... Shush,” Ryan mumbled, and he kissed Shane right on the back of his neck._ _

__Shane snorted, but didn’t say anything. He was still holding Ryan’s hands._ _

__“We can have a proper talk about feelings when I can see your face, okay?” Ryan knew it would probably be easier to have that kind of talk when he didn’t have to make eye contact, but… that felt dishonest._ _

__“I can work with that,” Shane said._ _

__“Looking forward to it,” said Ryan, in the same tone of voice he used when they were planning a work meeting._ _

__Shane’s ugly cackle was almost as good as the orgasm had been, and Ryan knew he had it bad._ _

__Oh well._ _

**Author's Note:**

> Like this fic?
> 
> Want me to write you something like it, or something completely different?
> 
> Come talk to me on my twitter, TheseusInTheMaz (no "e" at the end).


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